Contact

Resume

Links  

Site MAP 

Search  

 Home

1. Attendance, etc.  Conscientious class attendance and participation are expected and may be a plus-factor in final grades for the course.  In the event of excessive absences or unprepareds, I reserve the right to lower a grade or drop a student from the course.  
   • No-hassle pass:  Every day I will bring in a fresh seating chart before class.  If you are prepared for that day's assignment and willing to be "at risk" to be called on, check off next to your name.  If you aren't prepared or don't want to talk, don't check off next to your name.  At the end of the semester, I will give a half-grade bump up for students who were at risk for at least 80 percent of our classes (i.e., 34 out of 42) and a half-grade bump down for students who were at risk for fewer than half.
      
2. Grading.  Your grade for the course will be based upon a final examination, an optional participation factor, your grades on the (optional) mid-term and (required) final exams, and the research component of the course (as described below). 
    
3. Exams:
   • Mid-term examination.  During Week 8 of the semester (March 1-5), I will offer a self-scheduled, timed mid-term examination.  It will last one hour and will almost definitely be multiple-choice (similar to a substantial portion, possibly all, of the final exam).  Taking the mid-term is entirely optional, and it will only count toward your final grade if your grade on the mid-term is higher than your grade on the final.
      
   • Final examination.  The exam will be three hours long and open-book; it is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28, at 8:30 a.m.   When I write the exam, I will assume that you will have with you your casebook (which includes a copy of the federal Administrative Procedure Act).
     
     You may also bring into the exam room class handouts (if any) and your own class notes and course outline (including any outline you have prepared with other members of this class); no other materials may be consulted during the  examination.  
      
4. Research.  The ability to conduct research in administrative law materials is an essential lawyering skill. Unfortunately, time constraints in the first-year Legal Research & Writing course have resulted in the virtual elimination of this topic. We will at least partially rectify this situation by performing some pretty basic research tasks over the course of the semester.
   • There will be a single traditional research project that involves the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, agency adjudications, and basic Web research. 
   • The grade for this portion of the course will be pass/fail.
      
5. E-mail, Listserv & Web Site.  All students are strongly encouraged before the end of Add/Drop (Thursday, January 16) to sign onto the listserved discussion list established for this class ("adminlaw-mayo").  To subscribe to adminlaw-mayo, go to the University's listserv page for the law school: http://list.smu.edu/scripts/lyris.pl?site=law. This can only be done if you are logged on to the SMU server (i.e., from an on-campus computer, from an off-campus computer that is using the SMU PPP connection for internet access, or (if you aren't on-campus or using the PPP connection) once you've logged on to the SMU VPN server (information about VPN is available here).  Alternatively, you can send an e-mail message from any computer anywhere and you will be subscribed.  Just send a blank message addressed to join-adminlaw-mayo@list.smu.edu and you should be subscribed.
   
   I hope the class will use the discussion list for Q&A throughout the semester, as well as during exams.  The discussion list will also be the exclusive out-of-class medium by which I will communicate class-related information, such as changes in reading assignments, so it pays to check your e-mail regularly.
   
   You can also send me an e-mail directly (i.e., not through the listserv) at this address: tmayo@mail.smu.edu.
   
    

6. Office Hours.  My office is Room 303, Storey Hall.  Office hours are MW 4-6pm and TTh 9-11am.  Alternatively, you can sign up on the sheet on my door, call (214.768.3767) for an appointment, or e-mail me.  Please try to nail down an appointment time in advance by signing up on the appointment sheet posted on my door.  If the posted and available times are not convenient, I will meet with you at a time that is convenient; just check with me before or after class or leave a note on my door to set up an appointment. 

This page is the sole responsibility of Tom Mayo, not Southern Methodist University.
Please  your comments.
Last updated: 19 January 2004